CSA Programs

CSA Programs

LEAF Community Farm Markets are Thursday evenings at the Lakewood Public Library, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The Markets is the delivery location for several Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

All of the programs
offered below vend
local produce, so items will vary depending on the growing season. Feel
great that your food was grown within 75 miles and picked within 24
hours of delivery!

Options for residents with limited income

LEAF Community's mission is to provide broad access to local foods. We proudly accept the Ohio Direction card, and our market participates in a the "Produce Perks" program. This is a program of theCleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy coalition, in which Ohio Direction card holders can get buy one get one free market tokens (up to $10) for fresh fruits and vegetables. Visit the customer service table at the farmers' market to learn more.

If you feel deterred from joining a typical CSA program, since most programs require the large lump sum payment in the early spring, we offer a CSA Payment Plan in which you can make weekly payments.

City Fresh CSA

This program was initiated by the New Agrarian Center in Oberlin,
Ohio. The New Agrarian center is a non-profit who operates the City
Fresh program. Their employees work with 16 local farmers to bring
shares of produce to several locations in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.
LEAF Community volunteers work with City Fresh employees to manage the
Lakewood Fresh Stop.

How the program works:
Shareholders
are required to pre-pay for shares at least 1 week ahead. Low-income
shareholders receive a discount, and Ohio Direction Card is proudly accepted. The
program will run for 20 weeks. Delivery will be weekly at
LEAF Community Farmers' Market.

Order City FreshCSA shares for 2017, for pick up at the LEAF Farm Market on Thursday evenings starting in June.
City Fresh hasn't raised prices in six years. It will enact a moderate
increase on March 1.

Geauga Family Farms is a cooperative of
farms in the Geauga County Ohio area. Its CSA program will be delivered
on Thursdays at LEAF Community Farm Markets. Geauga Family Farms CSA will
be offering small, medium, and large sized shares, for a 20-week season. Visit www.geaugafamilyfarms.org for current seasonal
information.

Pricing

Medium share – $465

Medium share – returning members – $441.75

Large share – $775

Large share – returning members – $736.25

NEW! Customizable share – $700

NEW! Customizable share – returning members – $665

Extras

$75 – 1 loaf of wheat bread each week

$75 – 1 jar of jam each week (specify a flavor or variety)

$75 – 1 dozen eggs each week (free-range, GMO- and hormone-free)

$70 – ½ pound of Middlefield Original Cheese each week (specify a variety)

Cleveland Crops grows its produce in greater Cleveland, using sustainable and integrated pest management practices. Its produce is grown by individuals with developmental disabilities. Cleveland Crops' mission is to provide employment, training, career growth, and support for people with developmental disabilities. It is a program of SAW, Inc. and the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Pricing

Full share = $550/season

Single share = $330/season

Full payment is due on or before May 22, 2017. Payments are non-refundable.Early bird subscribers who respond by April 3, 2017 are eligible for a $40 discount. Application available here.

For information about any of the
community supported agriculture programs offered by LEAF, contact LEAF at
leafcsa@gmail.com.

The LEAF Night Community Farmers' Market depends greatly on volunteers. We are always
looking for more people to help out. Please let us know if you are able
to help out.

About Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

When
people first settled in Lakewood, they purchased their food from local
farmers. Farmers from the area brought their carts into Lakewood and
sold their meats, dairy products, and produce fresh from the farm.
People ate what was in season. They preserved food when it was plentiful
to save for other times in the year. Today, the global food industry
allows us to purchase foods from all over the world. Most consumers
don’t worry about what season or continent their foods grow. Much of our
food today is grown at least 1,500 miles away. While this provides for
an endless variety of culinary tastes we are discovering that food
produced closer to home provides numerous benefits.

Food grown
closer to our plates tastes better than that grown for conventional
grocery stores. Since international growers ship from such a far
distance, they pick their crops long before they are ripe. The farmers
supported in the LEAF Community CSA programs all pick when ripe and
within 24 hours of LEAF Market. If you need proof of the difference,
simply visit a LEAF Market to taste some fresh cucumbers, melon, or
tomatoes picked that morning. If you are used to the conventional stuff,
your taste buds are in for a treat!

Besides tasting better,
local produce is actually healthier than that in grocery stores.
Spending weeks on a truck causes the breakdown of essential nutrients,
especially Vitamin C. Also, since most global growers plant the same
crops year after year on the same fields (monocrops), they deplete
essential micronutrients from the soil. If these micronutrients are not
properly replenished, the food produced is lacking essential nutrients
that it should contain. The produce available at LEAF Community Farmers' Market is the
healthiest produce around. The local farmers rotate their crops and work
with soil specialists to ensure that they are maintaining an optimal
medium for growth and nutrition.

CSA reduces the risk of foodborne illness. Remember the “Spinach
Scare of 2006”? The reason this e.coli outbreak was so widespread is
because 90% of the country’s spinach supply is processed in the same
location in California. By getting your produce locally, you greatly
reduce the risk of getting contaminated food. Rest assured, you won't find California spinach at our market!

Community Supported Agriculture is good for the environment for several reasons.

By
purchasing your food directly from a local grower, you reduce the
amount of fossil fuels used for shipping. Decreasing the number of “food
miles” can greatly impact the environmental tax we create.

It's in a small farmer's best interest to sustainably care for their
land. Global produce growers are increasingly dependent on harsh
chemicals and pesticides, because they typically plant few types of crops (monoculture) and
do not rely on traditional techniques such as companion planting or home
remedies to help keep their crops healthy. The small Ohio farmers we
work with feed their families with the same food we get on LEAF Community Farmers' Markets.
They want what is best for their land, their families and their
consumers. These farmers use very little pesticides, and whenever
possible use organic pesticides. Many of the farms would qualify as an
organic farm, however are too small to be certified organic.

One of our CSA offerings is a certified organic program,
offered by the Geauga Family Farms cooperative. This is a unique way
that a group of smaller farms can become certified organic, by bearing
the logistical and infrastructure hurdles together.

Purchasing food from local farmers prevents urban sprawl. Urban
sprawl creates concrete wastelands in the cities, steals ecosystems from
animals and insects, and contributes to a growing problem with
stormwater runoff and flooding. By ensuring that our small farmers are
successful, they will be less likely to sell their land for development.

CSA benefits the local economy. Northeast Ohio’s economy has been
increasingly stressed, with the loss of jobs and “brain drain”. We spend
approximately $3 Billion per year on food in Cuyahoga County. Keeping
as much of that money in our region will greatly help our local economy.

CSA connects city dwellers to the countryside and farmers.
Research shows that we all need a connection to nature.

Many urban people (especially children)
do not realize how plants grow, or what they look like in their natural
form. Carrots, for example do not grow in perfectly shaped 2 inch
nuggets! CSA connects us to our neighbors. In Lakewood, LEAFCommunity Farmers' Markets are
magical. People walk by and ask, “What is going on here?” If you come to
a Market, you will have the opportunity to meet new folks, enjoy
local art, trade your home- grown goodies, listen to great local music,
watch kids dance and play, pick up a local share of produce, learn
about a new vegetable, and enjoy the Library.

Mission

Lakewood Earth and Food Community is
dedicated to the development of a more sustainable, healthful and
economically viable community through environmentally responsible
actions producing broad access to fresh, local foods, knowledge and
culture.